Initial details for the third edition of Art Basel’s Paris fair (18-20 October) have been released and chief among them is a name change. The fair formerly known as Paris+ par Art Basel is now simply Art Basel Paris, in line with the brand’s three other shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong.
“The previous name didn’t really stick or find its audience, it was slightly misunderstood,” says Clément Delépine, who has directed the Paris fair since it launched in 2022. The move was made in consultation with France’s culture minister, Rachida Dati, and was driven by the wishes of the fair’s exhibitors, he says. “It is just a cosmetic change, but perception matters a lot in our field.”
When Paris+ was announced, Delépine hoped the name would allow for more partnership opportunities with major creative brands in Paris. This will still be central to the fair’s identity, he says, and “will be made easier by its name fully embracing the strength of the Art Basel brand”. Among them will be an as-yet-unannounced collaboration with a “major fashion house” that will extend the presence of Paris Fashion Week, which takes place in late September, three weeks prior to the fair.
A more structural change for the fair is its much-awaited relocation. After two years in the temporary Grand Palais Éphémère, Art Basel Paris will move to the Grand Palais, which had been undergoing renovation work since 2020. This will allow for 40 more exhibitors (a 26% increase) with 194 galleries taking part in the next edition. Of these, 51 will be first-time participants, including Casey Kaplan from New York, Oslo’s Standard and Athr, which has locations across Saudi Arabia.
Sizes of stands will also increase, with the previous maximum floorspace of 66 sq. m now being bumped up to 77 sq. m.
Features introduced in the expanded edition include a new section, Premise, consisting of nine galleries that will each bring “highly singular presentations”, which can encompass art made before 1900. One of the galleries included in this section will be Nara Roesler bringing works by Tomie Ohtake and Chico Tabibuia, two late Brazilian artists each inspired by non-Western sources.
“It is our way to help broaden the canon,” Delépine says. “We have a responsibility to be a vitrine for cutting-edge conversations happening in contemporary art right now, such as the Venice Biennale, whose current edition [until 24 November] is more inclusive to self-taught artists and those overlooked from art history.”
The Émergence section, for younger galleries, will see almost all its exhibitors change from last year. Five galleries, which took part in last year’s section, have now moved to the main part of the fair. They include Sans Titre (Paris), Emalin (London) and Marfa Projects (Beirut).
A full exhibitor list for Art Basel Paris 2024 can be found here.
